


Erik is a gay Jewish mutant.

by orphan_account



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Abuse, The beach scene never happened and everyone is happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2015-04-03
Packaged: 2018-03-21 01:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3672582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's the Nazis' worst nightmare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Erik is a gay Jewish mutant.

**Author's Note:**

> A bit cracky, a bit sad, a bit rushed.
> 
> I'm posting a longer, smuttier Cherik in the near future. This is just my procrastination fic.

_Erik Lensherr is a gay, jewish, mutant. He is the Nazis' worst nightmare._

Charles was thinking this as he sat drinking tea across a chessboard from Erik, who seemed to be thinking just as deeply and profoundly as Charles was - only Erik was trying to decide his next move.

Erik suddenly smiled knowingly and moved his metal knight forward, the piece sliding along the surface of the board, until it was blocking the path of Charles' pawn. He'd been trying his best to maneuver the pawn across to the opposite side of the board so he could regain one of his bishops, but now his plans had been foiled.

"Blast you, Erik." He muttered quietly. After gently placing his teacup on the side table beside his chair, he considered his next move.

But his thoughts were distracting him. How had Shaw convinced the _Nazis_ to let him keep Erik, especially considering he had been working under an alias at the time and couldn't even threaten the Germans with his powers? Erik was quite literally the embodiment of everything the Nazis were against: gay, Jewish, and very clearly a powerful and potentially dangerous mutant.

"Charles?"

He was shook out of his reverie by Erik's concerned, and realised he had been leaning into his hand, staring aimlessly at the chessboard.

"Sorry, Erik. I got a little sidetracked by a thought."

Erik raised an eyebrow and leant back in his chair, "What thought could possibly distract the great Charles Xavier from a rousing game of chess?"

Charles mimicked the smile that had formed on Erik's lips. There was amusement sparkling in his friend's eyes. Charles pressed his palms together and rested his chin on the tips of his fingers, studying Erik's expressions carefully. "You're gay, aren't you?"

"What on earth would make you think that?" Erik laughed just a bit too loudly, smiled just a bit too widely.

"Well, firstly, I'm a telepath, darling. Secondly, your bedroom is next to mine, and I know which gender guests you entertain in there. Thirdly, you--"

"Enough, Charles! Heavens above." Erik's cheeks were flushed pink. "No need to dissect my life in front of me."

Charles subtly pressed two fingers to his temple, and felt a fleeting thought of Erik's brush against his mind as the older mutant ran his hand through his hair nervously, _I need to move bedrooms._

"Or just have quieter sex." Charles suggested nonchalantly as he raised his teacup to his lips and sipped at the hot liquid. Erik spluttered, his expression one of complete outrage, and Charles had to hold back a snort of laughter.

"This is hardly appropriate, Charles!"

"Oh, relax." Charles waved his hand and leant back in his chair, "I'm gay too. No need to get all flustered. We're all friends here."

Erik let out a sharp breath, "You're gay?"

"Gay, or bi, or... something. I'm more attracted to individual people than to entire genders." Charles sighed, "We've spent so long together, you think we would've learned this about one another by now."

Erik nodded in agreement, his fingers tapping a nonsensical rhythm on his knee.

"Preventing World War 3 tends to put domestics on the back burner, doesn't it?" Charles continued, grinning when Erik laughed at his statement. "Speaking of war, there was a reason I asked if you were gay."

"Go on."

"This might be a slightly touchy subject. Feel free to, well, yell at me or punch me, or whatever the hell it is you do to release anger."

Erik frowned, "It can't be that bad."

"I guess we'll see." Charles inhaled and twiddled his thumbs together, "You're gay."

It wasn't a question, but Erik nodded anyway.

"You're Jewish."

He nodded again.

"You're a mutant."

"Where could this possibly be going?" Erik asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, fingers now tapping a more inconsistent rhythm on his knee.

"You spent a lot of your childhood under the 'protection' of the Nazis and Shaw didn't you?"

Erik looked as if Charles had thrown a concrete block at his head. On the chessboard between him, Erik's king twitched. His entire body had stiffened, his usually wide range of expressions reduced to a single stoic moment of defensiveness. Charles knew that with that one question, he had caused Erik to throw up walls around himself. He regretted it; he'd spent so long tearing those walls down that it seemed like a failure for them to return.

"Yes. I did." Erik confirmed flatly.

"The gay-hating, Jewish-hating, anything-other-than-blond-hair-and-blue-eyes-hating Nazis?"

"Yes."

"And you, little Erik Lehnsherr, a gay Jewish mutant, was under their explicit protection for several years." Charles didn't feel as though 'protection' was the right word to describe the treatment of Erik when he was young, but they certainly kept his identity secret and away from prying eyes.

"Ye-es." Erik said cautiously, dragging out the response.

"Don't you think that's a tad odd? You must've been one charming little boy if a single undercover scientist convinced the _Nazis_ to keep you alive and well-cared for."

Erik pursed his lips, "I wouldn't say I was well-cared for. I certainly didn't suffer the same as..." He grimaced, and Charles knew from the wave of distress that emanated from his friend's mind that he was accessing memories that he usually kept buried, "...other people. I had a warm bed and three meals a day, even if I was being housed by a psychopath with a tendency to absorb excess energy from the power lines and let it loose on me."

Erik's disconnection from his childhood abuse was so complete that it worried Charles. Erik had spent his entire adult life hellbent on killing Shaw, even if it meant him losing his own life in the process, but now... Shaw was dead. And Erik had done it. He had fulfilled what he thought was his life's purpose.

Maybe Shaw's death had finally brought Erik to the point between rage and serenity that he had never been able to master. Maybe his death had finally sated Erik's desire for bloodshed.

"You were the Nazis' absolute worst nightmare. And they kept you alive through an entire _war_." Charles finally moved his piece on the chessboard, sliding his rook forward six spaces. "You're incredibly lucky."  

"Lucky." Erik repeated bitterly as his eyes scanned the board. He looked almost hopelessly at the position of Charles' pieces, then rose from his seat. He made for the door.

Charles rose shortly after him, concerned. "What's wrong?" He called as he scrambled to catch up with him.

"Nothing. I'm just going for a drink." Erik said solemnly. He falsified a smile over his shoulder, and Charles grabbed his arm to stop him in his tracks.

"It's eleven in the morning." Charles frowned, "What's wrong, old friend?"

"Nothing." He persisted. He half-heartedly tried to wrench his arm out of Charles' grip, but he held on.

"Erik."

Erik looked up at Charles, his usually bright eyes lacking their familiar glow. " _Lucky_. I'm not lucky. You are the Nazis ideal candidate: rich, white, Christian, probably as straight as Hitler himself until you hit puberty. Mutation or not, you are the lucky one here, Charles."

Charles had no reply. His hand slid down Erik's arm, over muscles and veins and a six digit black mark, until he was gripping his friend's hand tightly with his own.

"Yeah, I'm the Nazis' worst nightmare. And Shaw treated me like it." Erik's eyes now shone with unshed tears as twenty years of repressed emotions forced their way to the surface, and the tender side of Erik Lehnsherr found its way into the light.

"Oh, Erik. I'm so sorry." Charles pulled Erik into a tight hug. He stood on his tiptoes and looped his arms around his neck. Erik buried his face in Charles' shoulder and a few barely restrained sobs shook his body. "I didn't think."

"You said I could release my anger anyway I wanted." Erik said tentatively.

"Yeah. I did."

"I don't have any anger anymore, Charles. When I killed Shaw... I just stopped caring. It's all too sad for me to be angry about it now."

Charles ran his hand through the hair on the back of Erik's head and tousled it slightly. The other man had ceased his quiet sobs, and was now just clinging to Charles.

"Erik."

"Mmhm?"

"I'm always here for you. If you need me. I am a telepath after all... I'm sure I can help you work through this." Charles used his free hand to pull Erik tighter against him, "I'm here for you. Always."

Erik nodded into Charles' shoulder, and then pulled away. His eyes were red, and he looked as if an awful weight had been lifted off his chest.

"Nazis' worst nightmare." Erik said quietly as he rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm, "It's got a nice ring to it, I suppose."

Charles grinned, and Erik slung his arm across his shoulders. As they walked down the corridor towards the kitchen - they both felt like they needed a drink after all that - Charles remembered something that Raven had said, many months ago.

"It's definitely a better name than _Magneto_."

 

 


End file.
